Skip to main content
Cuban education expert meets British teachers
After an inspiring meeting in Bolton Socialist Club addressed by a visitor from the Cuban Ministry of Higher Education, teacher ROBERT POOLE reflects on what we can learn from the education system in Cuba
Cuban school kids [Adam Jones / Creative Commons]

THE British education system often seems beset by gloom. Teachers are dispirited and alienated from the profession — and so they are leaving in droves. If we try to analyse the cause, it is difficult to pinpoint any one factor.

Is it Ofsted? Is it the relentless pursuit of grades? Is it the deskilling? The polarisation in the absurd “trad v prog” debate? Is it poor behaviour? Low pay and overwork? Is it simply that we feel undervalued? Maybe all of the above?

It was therefore a privilege to meet Dr Santiago Rivera at Bolton Socialist Club earlier this month where he discussed education in Cuba, Cuban life more generally and the challenges faced by the illegal blockade of Cuba.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
People fill jugs with water in Havana, Cuba, June 12, 2026
Global Healthcare / 18 June 2026
18 June 2026

The US blockade of Cuba raises risks of a new global pandemic, experts warn at Unison conference

A souvenir shop worker eats next to images of Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, and Ernest Hemingway in Havana, Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Features / 11 June 2026
11 June 2026

Cuba continues to embody a vision of internationalism that imperialism has never forgiven, argues ZOLTAN ZIGEDY

Teaching as an act of love and revolution in Cuba. Photo: Author supplied
Features / 2 December 2025
2 December 2025

A teaching delegation to Cuba offered IAN DUCKETT a powerful glimpse into a schooling system defined by care, creativity and the legacy of the island’s remarkable 1961 literacy campaign

Two people are shown through the wall of a home damaged by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, October 19, 2005
Features / 30 August 2025
30 August 2025

While ordinary Americans were suffering in the wake of 2005’s deadly hurricane, the Bush administration was more concerned with maintaining its anti-Cuba stance than with saving lives, writes MANOLO DE LOS SANTOS